New tablet owners go iPlayer crazy as slate-based viewing doubles

The 'Tablet Christmas' brings iPlayer record viewers

The BBC has confirmed that iPlayer access via tablet devices has nearly doubled in the last two months, aided by surging tablet sales over Christmas.

The Corporation said programme requests from devices like the Apple iPad mini and Google Nexus 7 shot up from 21m in November to a whopping 40m at the end of January.

Tablets now account for 15 per cent of all iPlayer views including radio requests and 18 per cent of all TV show views. That's up considerably from just 6 per cent and 7 per cent at the end of January 2012.

Smartphones are still leading the way for mobile consumption of hit shows like David Attenborough's Africa (which racked up 2.3m total iPlayer views), with 44m requests at the end of January.

Step change in habits

Naturally the Beeb is crediting the amount of tablets and smartphones gifted and purchased during the festive season, for what it called a "step change" in how users consume iPlayer content.

"BBC iPlayer had a record-breaking festive period, with performance driven by new mobiles and tablets unwrapped on Christmas Day, and it looks like these devices have yet to be put down," Auntie said in a statement.

Overall the iPlayer received an astonishing 272m requests during January across its various portals.